2024 British Olympic Trials Entries Revealed: Dean Gunning For 5 Medals In Paris (original) (raw)

2024 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)

The 2024 British Swimming Championships are nearly upon us with the sole Olympic qualification meet on the calendar for April 2nd through April 7th.

The entry lists have been published, giving us a glimpse into the high-octane matchups that will be on the agenda as swimmers vie for one of thirty potential slots on the British roster for Paris.

As a refresher on British Swimming qualification, the first-place finisher in the open final of each individual event at this competition will be nominated for selection, provided the athlete records a time equal to or better than the nomination standards in the table below.

The second-place finisher in the open final of each individual event may also be selected to the team, subject to the overall roster count and relay swimmer qualifications. The second-place swimmers must also hit a QT listed in the table and, if needed, may be ranked as a percentage away from the table time. Those ranked furthest inside will get priority for consideration to the team.

As is nearly always the case with British Swimming, additional nominations may be made at the complete discretion of the Performance Director and the GB Head Coach.

We’ll be previewing specific events on which to keep an eye in the coming weeks but here are the key entries as they were published.

Of note, Olympic champion Tom Dean has entered the 100m free, 200m free and 200m IM. In addition to the men’s 4x100m and 4x200m free relays, the 23-year-old has made it known he is gunning for 5 medals in Paris.

The British men’s 100m and 200m freestyle fields are among the most competitive on the planet, with the likes of Dean, Duncan Scott, James Guy and Matt Richards all in the mix for the top two spots.

Speaking to BBC Sport last year, Dean said, “I sat down with my coach and we said five medals is on the cards.

“We want to do it, we’re able to do it and it would be the most ever from a Team GB athlete at one Games, which is super exciting and the opportunity to write my name in the record books.

“It’s a bit scary but really cool at the same time.”

“I know what training I’m capable of and fortunately I’m a multi-eventer,” said Dean. “We’ve been presented with this opportunity and I want to grab it with both hands and give it my best shot and see what we can produce in Paris.

“I’m not afraid of saying this is what I’m going to go for. If it doesn’t pan out, that’s the nature of sport. But we will have given it our best shot and hopefully will come away with a few medals.” (BBC Sport)

Key Entries

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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